Larry Sanders: Why I Walked Away From the NBA

[gp2015]

How many people are actually doing a job that they love to do? People suck it up every day with much worse jobs. He should feel lucky to be making a ton of money playing basketball.

He better invest his money wisely because he sure isn't going to make any money painting, writing, singing or whatever he plans on doing.

[Brinbe]

Good for him. I hope he's happy in what he does in life. There's more to life than money and basketball and I respect someone who can walk away from that all and be content.

[Young_Buc]

How many people are actually doing a job that they love to do? People suck it up every day with much worse jobs. He should feel lucky to be making a ton of money playing basketball.

He better invest his money wisely because he sure isn't going to make any money painting, writing, singing or whatever he plans on doing.

You're probably pretty young to say something like that. Watching my bank account and looking for new ways to invest has made me considerably less happier than being broke, drunk and wild on a university campus. Sanders has enough to sustain a rich persons lifestyle for a long as he lives. Money isn't everything at all.

[gp2015]

How many people are actually doing a job that they love to do? People suck it up every day with much worse jobs. He should feel lucky to be making a ton of money playing basketball.

He better invest his money wisely because he sure isn't going to make any money painting, writing, singing or whatever he plans on doing.

You're probably pretty young to say something like that. Watching my bank account and looking for new ways to invest has made me considerably less happier than being broke, drunk and wild on a university campus. Sanders has enough to sustain a rich persons lifestyle for a long as he lives. Money isn't everything at all.

Nope, I am not young. I have a decent job and I can buy some nice things.

Although University was fun, I didn't enjoy being broke and having no money. I also don't enjoy being in debt or borrowing money from other people. I would rather be self sufficient.

I agree money isn't everything but it's a necessity for many of us. He should feel blessed that he could make a lot of money doing something he enjoyed (which he admitted). A lot of us are not so lucky.

You are the one who sounds like they are young.

[Sherlock]

How many people are actually doing a job that they love to do? People suck it up every day with much worse jobs. He should feel lucky to be making a ton of money playing basketball.

He better invest his money wisely because he sure isn't going to make any money painting, writing, singing or whatever he plans on doing.

I think the point is that he was in a position where he could walk away. He obviously was paid a lot of money, and he's got a high profile name now. And if he realized that he didn't feel healthy, satisfied, fulfilled, comfortable, whatever playing basketball, then good for him for having the self-aware enough to recognize that and walk away.

You're right that so many people around the world suck it up and go to work every day at jobs they don't like. That's out of necessity. I'm sure if they had the choice and were in a position to walk away, they would do that too.

No reason for hating Sanders for the choice he made. There's only 450 NBA roster spots in the entire league, and now there's one more for some other hungry kid who wants. Good for Larry. And good for whomever comes along and takes the spot he vacated.

[JShuttlesworth]

The guy has already made more than enough money, to last him for the rest of his life, if he properly manages it.

Everybody always wants to talk about the extrinsic motivators that he's giving up; the money, NBA lifestyle, the 'label' as he mentioned, etc. Those things dont matter to some people if they dont have any intrinsic drive to play anymore. These guys should be motivated to be there because they want to be there and love the game, not because of the paycheque that they get every two weeks. I feel bad for those who lose sight of why they fell in love with the game and start playing solely for those outside motivators (certainly nothing wrong with getting paid though).

Good for Larry - Nothing wrong with putting yourself first when it comes to your happiness and well being.

People who dont have money like to think that money solves all their problems, realistically that isnt always the case. Mase knew what was up though...mo' money mo' problems

[ruckus]

How many people are actually doing a job that they love to do? People suck it up every day with much worse jobs. He should feel lucky to be making a ton of money playing basketball.

He better invest his money wisely because he sure isn't going to make any money painting, writing, singing or whatever he plans on doing.

You're probably pretty young to say something like that. Watching my bank account and looking for new ways to invest has made me considerably less happier than being broke, drunk and wild on a university campus. Sanders has enough to sustain a rich persons lifestyle for a long as he lives. Money isn't everything at all.

Nope, I am not young. I have a decent job and I can buy some nice things.

Although University was fun, I didn't enjoy being broke and having no money. I also don't enjoy being in debt or borrowing money from other people. I would rather be self sufficient.

I agree money isn't everything but it's a necessity for many of us. He should feel blessed that he could make a lot of money doing something he enjoyed (which he admitted). A lot of us are not so lucky.

You are the one who sounds like they are young.

"Sucking it up" is old school thinking. Depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses are real disorders and affect people to different degrees. Mental illness can be debilitating and, it's pretty brave for Sanders to speak up and admit that he is suffering from it. Forward thinking employers are now providing support services to deal with mental illness as they would with any other physical ailment.

What's surprising to me is that with this case and with Royce White, players appear to be left to deal with these sorts of issues on their own which, in contrast to something like a broken ankle, they have a whole support system set up to deal with it. Admittedly, this is me speaking with no insider knowledge of how a NBA franchise operates.

[gp2015]

How many people are actually doing a job that they love to do? People suck it up every day with much worse jobs. He should feel lucky to be making a ton of money playing basketball.

He better invest his money wisely because he sure isn't going to make any money painting, writing, singing or whatever he plans on doing.

I think the point is that he was in a position where he could walk away. He obviously was paid a lot of money, and he's got a high profile name now. And if he realized that he didn't feel healthy, satisfied, fulfilled, comfortable, whatever playing basketball, then good for him for having the self-aware enough to recognize that and walk away.

You're right that so many people around the world suck it up and go to work every day at jobs they don't like. That's out of necessity. I'm sure if they had the choice and were in a position to walk away, they would do that too.

No reason for hating Sanders for the choice he made. There's only 450 NBA roster spots in the entire league, and now there's one more for some other hungry kid who wants. Good for Larry. And good for whomever comes along and takes the spot he vacated.

Nope, I get that he's made enough money to be able to walk away from basketball and do something else.

The part I have a problem with is how it sounds like he's complaining about his life while playing basketball as if he was being forced into this miserable life, like not having the freedom to say what he wants, etc.

"Coming into the league, you get dropped this large amount of money out of nowhere and people automatically change around you," he continued. "That just happens. You become an ATM to some people. You have to be correct in your statements. You have to state things a certain way. You give up your freedom of speech for real. You really can't say how you feel."

Nowhere did I read that he was thankful for his opportunity to play basketball in the first place. A lot of people are not so lucky.

[gp2015]

You're probably pretty young to say something like that. Watching my bank account and looking for new ways to invest has made me considerably less happier than being broke, drunk and wild on a university campus. Sanders has enough to sustain a rich persons lifestyle for a long as he lives. Money isn't everything at all.

Nope, I am not young. I have a decent job and I can buy some nice things.

Although University was fun, I didn't enjoy being broke and having no money. I also don't enjoy being in debt or borrowing money from other people. I would rather be self sufficient.

I agree money isn't everything but it's a necessity for many of us. He should feel blessed that he could make a lot of money doing something he enjoyed (which he admitted). A lot of us are not so lucky.

You are the one who sounds like they are young.

"Sucking it up" is old school thinking. Depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses are real disorders and affect people to different degrees. Mental illness can be debilitating and, it's pretty brave for Sanders to speak up and admit that he is suffering from it. Forward thinking employers are now providing support services to deal with mental illness as they would with any other physical ailment.

What's surprising to me is that with this case and with Royce White, players appear to be left to deal with these sorts of issues on their own which, in contrast to something like a broken ankle, they have a whole support system set up to deal with it. Admittedly, this is me speaking with no insider knowledge of how a NBA franchise operates.

All I'm saying is he should be thankful for the opportunity to do something he enjoyed, while making a lot of money doing it, setting him up for life.

I have no problem with him leaving the game and doing something else that will make him happier.

I never advocated him continuing to play. As I said, a lot of people don't have the same opportunity and just have to deal with it. That's just life.

[Rhythm043]

Waste of talent for real. Best shotblocker in the league

[Clementine9]

I love how people on here somehow think he's going to go broke in the next few years. There's no indication he's spending recklessly. If you BRING HOME an average of 40,000 a year from the age of 22 to the age of 60, you'd make $1,520,000 IN YOUR LIFE. Hell if you bring home 60,000 you're only making 2.2m in a lifetime. Those are reasonable amounts for a lot of people, unfathomable amounts of money for others. This guy has already made much MUCH more than that, and he has it in a lump sum. He's bringing home 6 figures from his money just sitting around in investments. He's fine.

His story doesn't seem to have anything to do with being an out of control kid who shouldn't have the amount of money he does so the money question is irrelevant. He's unfortunate to have the mental health issues he does, fortunate that he doesn't have to worry about money for the rest of his life and can fill his time with whatever he enjoys. He never needs to see any money in these other areas of things he enjoys, and he needs to see zero other form of success from them. He can just be.

[trick]

What's Royce White doing nowadays?

[gp2015]

I love how people on here somehow think he's going to go broke in the next few years. There's no indication he's spending recklessly. If you BRING HOME an average of 40,000 a year from the age of 22 to the age of 60, you'd make $1,520,000 IN YOUR LIFE. Hell if you bring home 60,000 you're only making 2.2m in a lifetime. Those are reasonable amounts for a lot of people, unfathomable amounts of money for others. This guy has already made much MUCH more than that, and he has it in a lump sum. He's bringing home 6 figures from his money just sitting around in investments. He's fine.

You can't compare a regular person's lifestyle with a rich athlete's. As he said in the interview, there will be random people coming out of nowhere, asking you for money, let alone your "friends" or family.

Add in the lifestyle that most athletes are used to, and they can easily blow through a ton of money really quickly. Once people are used to a certain standard, you can't go back.

I'm not saying this is the case for Sanders as I don't know him personally but it's easier to blow a lot of money than you assume. It's not a mystery why a lot of athletes/lottery winners/celebrities blow through all their money and end up broke. A lot of these people with too much money get into drugs as well and need to feed their addiction.

[beanbag]

How many people are actually doing a job that they love to do? People suck it up every day with much worse jobs. He should feel lucky to be making a ton of money playing basketball.

Who says he doesn't? He said he doesn't want to play professional basketball, he didn't say he wasn't grateful.

He better invest his money wisely because he sure isn't going to make any money painting, writing, singing or whatever he plans on doing.

You don't even know what he's going to do, let alone what type of money he will make off of whatever that is. Also, he made it pretty clear he doesn't care about money.

[MEDIC]

I'm betting he'll be back after he starts running out of money.......but he will sell it in a manner suggesting he "is ready" to return to the NBA.

Would be interesting to see what choice he would have made had his contract been fully voided. Will also be interesting to find out what he does with his time away from the NBA. Will he return to school? Will he contribute in some way to help those less fortunate with mental health issues?

Are there any stories of someone who left the league & did something productive with their lives? The last guy that I recall sat around & smoked pot every day until he ended up in jail (Keon Clark).

I guess we'll see....

[team edward]

"Sucking it up" is old school thinking. Depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses are real disorders and affect people to different degrees. Mental illness can be debilitating and, it's pretty brave for Sanders to speak up and admit that he is suffering from it. Forward thinking employers are now providing support services to deal with mental illness as they would with any other physical ailment.

What's surprising to me is that with this case and with Royce White, players appear to be left to deal with these sorts of issues on their own which, in contrast to something like a broken ankle, they have a whole support system set up to deal with it. Admittedly, this is me speaking with no insider knowledge of how a NBA franchise operates.

NBA teams barely even want consider statistical analysis in aiding performance. Advanced sports science is still pretty new. Not so long ago conditioning meant doing some bench press on the weekened and popping some sudafeds before the game. So I am skeptical about whether there are mental health support systems that even approach adequacy.

Which is too bad. Because guys like Sanders and White are basketball prodigies that could probably be very effective players in the right system with the right support etc. Shoot, Bo Jackson worked part time for the Raiders and he's probably a HOF'er.

[Badonkadonk]

Good for Larry. It sounds like he's doing exactly what he needs to be doing to establish peace in his life.

It was clear he had lost interest in playing the game leading up to his release; I never understood the "omg we should sign him it's low risk" posts given his disinterest.

[Rhythm043]

Good for Larry. It sounds like he's doing exactly what he needs to be doing to establish peace in his life.

It was clear he had lost interest in playing the game leading up to his release; I never understood the "omg we should sign him it's low risk" posts given his disinterest.

People weren't 100% sure on whether or not he was disinterested though. The writer who broke the story in Milwaukee was apparently a bit of a hack.

[MEDIC]

I know a lot of people that hate their jobs & would rather be doing something else, but also need the job to provide for their families.

At the age of 25, Larry basically won the lottery. If he plays his card right, he can go on enjoying the rest of his life living with little to no responsibility.

[PickleJ]

How many people are actually doing a job that they love to do? People suck it up every day with much worse jobs. He should feel lucky to be making a ton of money playing basketball.

Who says he doesn't? He said he doesn't want to play professional basketball, he didn't say he wasn't grateful.

He better invest his money wisely because he sure isn't going to make any money painting, writing, singing or whatever he plans on doing.

You don't even know what he's going to do, let alone what type of money he will make off of whatever that is. Also, he made it pretty clear he doesn't care about money.

Well said. I was just about to hack out a similar response.

And he did say he was grateful---incredibly grateful--- for having the chance to play in the NBA. He clearly stated so in the first paragraph of the written introduction that accompanied the video.

His talents are likely not limited to the shot-blocking and the basketball court. There are a great many opportunities to make a living and to contribute through the arts.